Tarot Cards: A Fun Way to Look Inward

Tarot cards have been around quite a long time. During the mid-15th century they were regular playing cards, but eventually the decks were used to divine the past, present, and future. I myself am not sold on the mystical nature of tarot cards; however, I do find them to be a valuable way to analyze oneself. Carl Jung, one of Freud’s students for a time, firmly believed that introspection was important in finding happiness, but he drew mandalas instead of tarot cards. It’s my belief that people should not look inward all the time, but keeping an eye on how your own actions and behaviors affect you and others can help immensely when it comes to maintaining mental health.

Surprisingly, it’s easy to use tarot cards. A lot of decks come with booklets that tell you what each card means. They’re usually separated into the major and minor arcana and the minor ones are further split into four different groups. I discovered these beautiful cat tarot cards that make me so happy, which includes fire, sea, earth, and wind for the minor arcana. Each of the smaller groups have a specific vibe, like fire is more concerned with disruptions and fighting;whereas, earth is focused on harmony and nature. Each set is different though and I have my eye on those critical role cards when the artist finishes.

Once you have your deck you choose a spread that you want, and each spread can have different meanings. The internet is chock full of tarot card spreads if your booklet does not have any that interest you. My personal favorite is the classic Celtic Cross, which allows you to look at a specific situation instead of a generalized look at the future. At times the cards get spooky and are perfect for the situation in question, but that is due to the vagueness of the cards. Even though the divinity of tarot cards are questioned, you can take the vague meanings of the cards and use them to think about what is bothering you, why, and how you can fix it. I feel that it is easier for me to analyze myself if I have some prompts given to me, which makes tarot cards perfect. Tarot cards also give me an excuse to just sit and think, which can sometimes be difficult if you have a million things to do that week…or month.

Even if you don’t use tarot cards, I encourage you to find your own way of looking inward. Inside yourself is where that tangle of emotions lies and it’s helpful to take a breather and begin to undo those knots and understand what is and is not working for you right now. Let me know how you self-analyze down in the comments below!